Improvement in sewing-mach ines



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. TOWNSEND.

Sewing Machine. No. 34,915. Patented April 8, 1862.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. TOWNSEND.

Sewing Machine.

Patented" April 8, 1862.

ITI'Uen 7 MM 3 Sheets sheet 3.

E; TOWNSEND.

Sewing Machine.

Patented April 8; 1862.

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fiven $0 PM a L'lhogmphur. wamm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER TOWNSEND, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

, Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,915, dated April8, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER TOWNSEND, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have made an invention of certain new and usefulImprovemen ts in Machinery for Sewing; and I do hereby declare the sameto be fully described in the following specification and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, Fig.2 a side elevation, Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 an underside view, of a sewingmachine constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of it, such being takenthrough the postal carriage to be hereinafter described.

The nature-of my invention consists in so arranging the awl and needleas to puncture in opposite directions the material to be sewed andfeeding such material along by a lateral movement of the needle,substantially as hereinafter described; also, in the combination of apostal carriage and its operative mechanism, not only with an apparatus,substantially as hereinafter described, for feeding and sewing anarticle to be sewed, but with a postal worksupporter arranged relativelyto the main frame of the sewing-machine, substantially as hereinafterrepresented and described; also, in the combination and arrangement of aremovable bearing-plate with the postal work-supporter, the postalcarriage, when applied to sewing mechanism, operating substantially ashereinafter described.

By the term postal carriage I mean acarriage provided with a post orstandard to extend upward from it, substantially as does the post orpart a above the base part, b, of the postal carriage A represented inthe drawings.

By the term postal work-supporter? I mean an arm or post extended upwardfrom the main frame of the sewing'machine and havinga suitable and flattop surface on which an article may be sustained while being sewed.

It is frequently the case that an article may be of such form as torender it difficult to sew it while resting on a large flat plate orplatform, and that in order to accomplish the sewin g of it we areobliged to make use of asmall platform, which may be arranged within thearticle, or the article be so placed upon it as to extend down eitherwholly or partially around it. Now, in my sewing-machine the smallplatform, which is shown at c, is extended from and upheld by or makespart of a post, B, which projects upward from a neck or extension, 0, ofthe-main table or frame D of the sewing-machine, there being an openspace, E, between the post B and the said frame D.

The operative mechanism of the postal carriage is that for imparting toit its reciprocating, intermittent, rectilinear motions.

The machinery or apparatus for feeding the article to be sewed consistsof a sewing-needle and the machinery by which it has vertical movementsimparted to it, its horizontal movements being given by means of thepostal carriage and its operative mechanism.

In my machine, as exhibited in the drawings, the needle E, besidesperforming its function in the matter of drawing loops of thread into anarticle while being sewed, is employed to produce the feeding of thearticle along the proper distance to efiect the formation of stitches orthe interloopingofthe thread. Gonsequently, after the needle has piercedor entered the article the postal carriage will be moved horizontally,and will cause theneedle to move the article or work along on theworksupporter a distance equal to the length of ast-itch to be formed.At a proper time the thread by means of its carrier F, will be laidagainst the needle, which will subsequently be caused to descend andhook upon the thread and draw it in the form of a loop through the work.

I would also observe that my machine, as exhibited in the drawings, isone for sewing leather with a chain-stitch, and particularly heavy orthick articles, such as harness'braces, thorough-braces, or strongbanding; and for such purpose the said machine is provided with an awl,G, whose function is to puncture the work and prepare it for receptionof the needle-that is to say, the needle every time it may be forcedupward through the work will be caused to enter a hole just previouslymade inthe work by the awl, which is arranged relatively to the needleas shown, in the drawings. The awl, with its operative mechanism,constitutes a useful auxiliary, al-

though not always a necessary part of a sewing-machine constructed inaccordance with my invention, as the needle may be so formed as topuncture the work as an awl would, as well as feed such work along, asdescribed.

Feeding the work along by lateral movement of the needle while in theworkI do not claim in the abstract, my invention having reference to animproved means for so moving the needle, such being the postal carriageand its operative mechanism used in conjunction with a postalwork-supporter, or with such and a separate movable platform to. beapplied to the latter, and for the purpose of extending itsbearing-surface.

r The frame I), cpnstructed as shown in the drawings, supports thedriving-shaft G, which carries a cam, H. This cam operates aconnecting-rod, I, which is'jointed to an arm,K, extended from avertical shaft, L, arranged as shown in the drawings. From the shaft Lanother arm, M, projects at a right angle to the first arm, and isjointed or otherwise properly affixed to the postal carriage A, which issupported on two parallel ways or guides, e e, the cam being properlyformed to impart to the carriage its rectilinear and intermittentmovements necessary to the feeding and sewing of the work.

The postal work-supporter B, with its part 0, extends upward close inrear of and over the postal carriage, as shown in the drawings, and sothat a piece of work or article to be sewed, when placed on the part 0,may extend down between the post B and the main part H of the frame.

In connection with the postal work supporter and the movable postalcarriage, I use a removable platform or plate, N, (shownin top view inFig. 6,) which is provided with an opening,f, ofthe form and for thereception of the head or upper part, c. of the postal Worksupporter, atop view of said head and the main part of the machine being given inFig. 7. The plate N, when in use, is supported in position in thework-supporter, and so that their upper surfaces may be in one plane,the plate N being extended to the main frame and sustained by a rabbet,1, thereof, or its equivalent, as well as by a suitable shoulder, f, orapparatus aflixed to the postal work-supporter. While the plate N is inplace the machine can be used for ordinary kinds of flat work; but byremoval of the plate the machine can be used for sewing work which, whenapplied to, it will extend down (more or less) around the postalcarriage and the postal work-supporter.

In the drawings the needle-carrier 0 and closer P are represented asarranged within the postal carriage. They,as well as the awl andthread-carrier, are to have suitable mechanism for operating them in theproper manner. As such mechanism constitutes no part of my'invention, itis unnecessary to herein further describe it or any part or partsthereof which may be shown-in the drawings.

It is to be understood that the needle-oarrier is to move verticallywithin the postal carriage when the latter is arranged so as to movelongitudinally while in motion.

Important advantages result from the em ploymeut of the postal carriagein connection with the postal work-supporter, or the same and theremovable platform.

First. It causes the needle to pass into and out of the workin onestraight line, the needle not being turned in the work in order to feedit along, as it would be were it operated by a vibrating arm. When soturned the needle not only enlarges the hole made in the work, but isliable to be bent or sprung out of place.

Second. The postal carriage, like the pos tal work-supporter, enablescertain kinds of work to be sewed which could not conveniently be sewedon the platform N. t I would observe that the arrangement of the needleand the awl so as to puncture in opposite directions the material to besewed, and feeding the said material along by the needle, is productiveof important advantages. Under such an arrangement of the awl and theneedle, if the feeding of the material be done by the awl, such has beenfound very objectionable, particularly in sewing thick leather or heavywork, for while the awl was moving the material the needle was down toits lowest position, and was holding the loop and preventing it frombeing drawn closely up into the material. At the same time the needlewas liable to be sprung or bent by the lateral strain of the loop. Theawl also was liable to be sprung or bent by the great lateral pressureexerted on it. Under my new improvement of feeding by the'needle, andhaving the awl and needle pass into the material in opposite directions,the awl will make the hole for the loop, after which the needle willpass directly upward through such hole and move the material along theproper distance for the formation of a new stitch. In doing this theneedle will ease the loop and allow it to be drawn, so as to form a firmand close stitch in the material.

I claim as new, and an improvement in sewingmachinery,arrangingtheawlandthe needle so as to' puncture in opposite directions, as described, thematerial to be sewed, in combination with feeding the said materialalong by the needle, as specified.

I am aware that a postal work-supporter and a separate bearing-plate,substantially 7 like those hereinbefore represented, have been known andin use in sewing machinery for several years, both by myself and others,and therefore I do notclaim such in their connection with asewing-machine; but

What I do claim is-- 1. The combination of the postal carriage and itsoperative mechanism not only with an apparatus, substantially as abovedescribed,

for feeding and sewing an article to be sewed, but with a postalWork-supporter arranged relatively to the main frame of thesewingxnaehine as represented.

2. The combination and arrangement of a removable bearing-plate, N, withthe postal work-supporter B and the postal carriage A,

' when applied to sewing mechanism of the kind and to operate in mannersubstantially as hereinbefore described.

ELMER TOWNSEND. \Vitnesses:

E. II. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr.

